US cops test GPS bullets

US coppers are experimenting with James Bond sort of gear to end the need for car chases. The device is essentially a gun which fires a GPS tracking device into a car. This means that cops do not have to follow a car too closely in a car chase.

The hope is that this will prevent speeding car chases causing too much collateral damage. The system works by hitting a button inside a police car which triggers a lid to pop up releasing a bullet that shoots out and sticks to the car in front.

Dubbed Starchase, the system is being tested in Iowa, Florida, Arizona and Colorado and the firm behind it is now keen to get the system into the EU. It is not cheap. Each system costs $5,000 and each bullet costs $500, so the cops better not miss.

Once the bullet is connected to a car, the police track and pinpoint a suspect's vehicle location and speed in near real time.